By Demola Akinyemi
Ilorin—Panic has gripped Ile-Ere community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State following the abduction of the traditional ruler, HRH Oba Simeon Olaonipekun, and one of his sons, Olaolu, a serving National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, member.
The monarch and his son were kidnapped on Wednesday evening when a gang of gunmen attacked the royal palace.
Vanguard reliably gathered that about eight gunmen stormed the palace at about 8:30 p.m., firing sporadically into the air before forcing their way into the inner rooms and abducting the monarch and his son, who was with him at the time.
A family source who was present during the incident told journalists that the assailants appeared to have specifically targeted the monarch and his wife.
“I noticed some strange movements outside around 8:00 p.m. and immediately alerted those inside. We began locking doors and switching off the lights, but once they realised this, they started shooting,” the source said.
According to him, the gunmen broke down the palace doors with their weapons and demanded to see the Kabiyesi.
“They gained entrance and asked for the Kabiyesi, and he came out. They were also asking for his wife, Felicia Olaonipekun, but she had already been hit by a bullet in the arm,” he said.
The source added that Olaolu, one of the monarch’s sons who is currently undergoing his NYSC programme, was also seized after coming out of hiding.“There were about 10 of us in the palace at the time, as we had come to spend the holiday with the Kabiyesi. Everyone was hiding during the attack.
“After they left, we rushed the Olori to the hospital that same night,” he said.
He noted that the community vigilante group could not repel the attackers, as only two members were on duty and were overpowered by the gunmen’s superior firepower.
“The vigilantes could not do much because they were just two on duty. The leader of the attackers spoke very good English, and they came straight to the palace. They did not attack any other place in the town,” the source added.
He said the incident was reported to several police formations, including the Owu-Isin and Ijara-Isin divisions.
, as well as the joint local security network in Ikosin, while neighbouring traditional rulers were also alerted.
As of the time of filing this report, there was no official information on contact with the abductors, while the community appealed to the state government and security agencies to intensify efforts to secure the safe release of the monarch and his son.
Efforts to obtain a reaction from the Kwara State Police Command proved unsuccessful at press time, as the Police Public Relations Officer, Ejire Adetoun Adeyemi, did not respond to several calls to her phone.
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